TRICKY DICK’S QUICK MILK FIX
"The people have got to know if their
President is a crook. Well, I am not
a crook."
Richard Nixon's immortal line was delivered
during an hour-long televised question-and-
answer session with 400 Associated Press
reporters on November 11, 1973.
Towards the end of the interview, a question
was asked about whether his administration
raised milk support prices in exchange for
campaign contributions from the milk lobby.
Denying the charge, Nixon said that
Democrats led the fight in the House and
Senate for higher milk prices.
BACKGROUND
While writing MILK: The Deadly Poison,
I discovered transcripts of Nixon's actual
meeting with dairymen on March 23, 1971.
Knowing the tapes were running, and
having been presented with $3 million
dollars in cash, Nixon was recorded
saying:
"Uh, I know...that, uh, you are a group
that are politically very conscious...
And you're willing to do something
about it. And, I must say a lot of
businessmen and others...don't do
anything about it. And you do, and I
appreciate that. And I don't have to
spell it out."
After the dairymen had left, advisor John
Connally was alone with Nixon, and said:
"They are tough political operatives.
This is a cold political deal."
I had not known all of the facts surrounding
this case until recently. After thumbing through
old issues of Hoard's Dairyman, the dairy
farmer's magazine I found new evidence.
THE EVIDENCE OF A CRIMINAL ACT
The April 10, 1971 issue went to press at
about the same time Nixon was meeting with
the dairymen. At that time, Clifford Hardin
was serving as the Secretary of Agriculture.
Hoard's reported that milk prices would not
be raised during 1971 because there was an
increase in milk production, and the
government found no logical support for a
price hike. Here is what Hoard's wrote:
"Price supports will continue at $4.66 in
marketing year starting April 1. Secretary
Hardin cited increased milk production
as reason for not boosting support level."
The following issue of Hoard's, published
on April 25th, 1971, contained this report:
"The dairy support increase still has
everybody talking here. Veteran
observers can't believe yet that President
Nixon moved so quickly. There's a new
respect for the four large dairy
cooperatives that persuaded the President
the 27-cent increase was justified."
HOARD'S EDITORIAL
Within that issue, Hoard's places an indelible
timeline upon the delivery of $3 million in
cash, and Nixon's shocking change of mind.
The "gift" was delivered on a Tuesday
afternoon, March 23, 1971. On the
morning of March 25th, Nixon announced
at his Cabinet session that a 27 cent
increase would take effect seven days later.
Hoard's wrote:
"There was great surprise in the nation's
Capitol and joy among dairy farmers.
A change in position of this magnitude
has not been noted in many decades."
Hoard's knew nothing about the bribe.
They reported:
"There is little doubt in anyone's mind
that full credit for persuading the
President is due almost entirely to
the work and support of the four
cooperatives named on page 471."
A detailed article on page 471 revealed
the identities of the four dairy groups:
Associated Milk Producers, Inc., Mid-
America Dairymen, Inc., Dairymen Inc.,
and Pure Milk Products Cooperative.
Try not to laugh. Hoard's writes:
"Dairymen in attendance at the meeting
told Hoard's Dairyman they were
impressed with the the President's
deep interest in their case and the
penetrating questions he asked."
What seems to have been penetrated was
the integrity of the American people.
What did this $3 million dollar "investment"
do for the dairy industry? In 1971, 120
billion pounds of milk were produced.
An additional 27 cents per hundred
pounds of milk translated to $3.24
billion extra dollars for the dairy industry.
On March 23, 1971, Secretary of the
Treasury, John Connally summarized the
day's events to Nixon:
"These dairymen are organized; they're
adamant, they're militant...And they,
they're massing an enormous amount
of money that they're going to put
into political activities, very frankly."
People often ask me if I have any concern
over a dairy industry lawsuit. I usually laugh
at that suggestion. I have zero concern. I
don't imagine that they would be that stupid.
As a matter of fact, I would welcome such
litigation. Imagine Court TV's coverage of
"Dairy on Trial?" The immortal words of
NBA ballplayer, Charles Barkley, best
sum up the likelihood of the dairy industry
filing a potential suit against me:
"My initial response was to sue her for
defamation of character, but then I
realized that I had no character."